Motor vehicle suspension systems are configured so that the wheels are able to follow elevational changes in the road surface as the vehicle travels therealong. When a rise in the road surface is encountered, the suspension responds in “jounce” in which the wheel is able to move upwardly relative to the frame of the vehicle. On the other hand, when a dip in the road surface is encountered, the suspension responds in “rebound” in which the wheel is able to move downwardly relative to the integrated body/frame structure of the vehicle. In either jounce or rebound, a spring (i.e., coil, leaf, torsion, etc.) is incorporated with the body structure in order to provide a resilient response to the respective vertical movements of the wheel with regard to the vehicle body structure. However, in order to prevent wheel bouncing and excessive vehicle body motion, a shock absorber or strut is placed at the wheel to dampen wheel and body motion. An example of a MacPherson strut is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,971.
Due to the high stresses encountered during operation of a strut top mount, it is conventional practice in the art to fabricate strut top mounts having the primary structural element made of steel. In this regard, an example of an innovative strut top mount is exemplified in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/677,070, filed Feb. 21, 2007, to Paul A. Winocur, and assigned to the assignee hereof, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
One of the goals sought after in the automotive arts is increasing fuel economy based upon decreasing weight of the motor vehicle. Accordingly, it would be very desirable if somehow a strut top mount could be made lighter by somehow overcoming the stress factors that require the primary structural member be made of metal, such that a lighter polymeric material may be utilized as the primary structural member.